Network Marketing Business Free Team Building Tips

Free Team Building Tips

If you decide to build a Network Marketing Business team, you need prospects to present your opportunity to. If someone tells you otherwise, question carefully. (I’m not talking about genuinely passive businesses here, but I only know of one that I can say hand on heart has brought me a passive income.)

Successful network marketing companies will have good training and duplicatable systems.

Here are some free tips on building an MLM team, from my network marketing business training.

You can think of finding leads for your MLM business like “Sorting Apples”.

Here’s what you will find:

Red Apples

You want these people in your business.

How to spot a Red Apple:

Enthusiastic

Ambitious

Welcoming of new ideas

Make decisions fast

Self-starters

Good networkers (they will have good social skills, online and offline)

They’re always busy, so when talking to them, get to the point fast or you’ll bore them

20% of the population

Spend 80% of your time looking for people with these qualities. That doesn’t mean 80% of your time hounding them! It means: split that 80% between spotting them and then either cultivate them in a no-pressure way, or present them with a quick video introduction so they can decide if they want more info.

Which of those two approaches you take will depend on your existing relationship with them. While an “old friend” may be fine with a “Hey, do me a favor and watch this video”, if that’s your first approach to someone new, you’re likely to get blocked!

Once Red Apples join your business, make sure they’re the people you put at the top of your support list. Because they’re self-starters and highly motivated they probably won’t need a lot of your time, but when they need help, don’t make them wait!

Green Apples

Making up 70% of the population, Green Apples are slower to get started and will listen to new ideas. However, at first they’ll probably be skeptical and have a thousand and one questions.

If you can satisfactorily answer these questions you may find they’ll turn into your most loyal and well-informed team members. A great reward for the time you spent.

OR, you may never have enough answers to satisfy them – which is probably why they’re not already in a networking business!

Your role is to give them enough information to get them to a “Yes”, “No” or “Maybe later” answer. Then move on.

Spend 20% of your time watching out for Green Apples and be prepared to give them plenty of support.

Brown Apples

10% of people have a scarcity attitude or a completely closed employee mentality.

I say “employee mentality” with great love and respect, because some of my family and most of my closest friends have put in sterling service to an employer for many years, love their professions and have not the slightest interest in looking at a business opportunity. That’s their choice and I respect it.

To clear your own conscience, you may like to point out to them that:

The “Job for life” can never be guaranteed.

Neither can their health and willingness to work and commute 35 hours a week. (Probably best to phrase it that these are worries or experiences YOU had, otherwise you’ll look as if you’re pressuring them.)

Sow the seed that YOUR motivation for a second income from the business is to ensure that you have satisfactory plans for a comfortable retirement income, because you hadn’t yet made adequate provisions. If they have – well done!

In general “Brown Apples” are not open to joining your business as team builders and you don’t want them to. They won’t do anything, and their scarcity mentality and negative attitude can be a downer, and sap everyone’s time and enthusiasm.

Their circumstances may change, or some may become customers if the product appeals.

Spend 0% of your time looking for them and trying to recruit them as business builders. Only volunteer information if asked.

As mentioned, Brown Apples can often be those closest to you, that you love dearly. That is the case for me. But I don’t want (or need) them in my business. It would cause stress and quarrels with people I love and respect. Let them go, with love. They know where you are if they change their mind.

Rotten Apples

Again, these may be people close to us, who THINK they have our best interests at heart.

Whereas a Brown Apple will just walk away and leave you to your chosen path, Rotten Apples are toxic people. They will actively drag up dirt on the MLM profession, or your company, to try and convince you to give up on your dreams.

This may be from genuine concern or fear for you, or they may just want to keep you at their level of income and success so you don’t “leave them behind” – in whatever sense you care to take that.

Run – don’t walk. Your dreams are yours and yours alone.

Converting Apples?

You would not stand in the supermarket and “will” a Brown or Rotten Apple to turn Red or Green. You would put it to one side and walk away. Do the same in your network marketing business.

If your friends and family are all Brown or Rotten Apples, don’t stress. Leave them be, and wait until they ask HOW you have been able to quit your job / buy a new car / take extra holidays.

Likewise you would not try to “will” a Green Apple to turn Red (or vice versa – both are great prospects). Appreciate them for their good qualities and enjoy giving your support. A green apple may in time ripen into a red one, but it’s completely out of your control. Just nurture each in the manner appropriate for them.

It’s important to give your Red and Green Apples actionable steps and information within their first 48 hours, otherwise they may turn into a Brown or Rotten Apple – especially if they are sleeping with one LOL!

Which Type Am I?

Some days I’m Red, just powering forward – other days I’m Green, enquiring about the depths of the business.

100% of the time I am confident of this business. A few months ago I saw a similar company put on 3 million affiliates. This is a proven concept, and now we have the UK stores in addition to USA and Canada.

As an amusing aside it occurred to me that I am a Brown Apple for certain types of business that others approach me with. This is partly because I’m completely focused on my ecommerce store “Global Shopping Rewards”. It’s also because I have “graduated” to GSR through a series of mistakes that taught me to spot the qualities of successful network marketing companies.

I know what works and what doesn’t work (for me).

Apples And Three-Way Calls

Your business support system may include 3-way calls where a more experienced member will talk to your prospect and answer their questions to help them reach a decision about the business. (That’s what we do in GSR.)

If so, NEVER bring your mentor a Brown or Rotten Apple. You’re wasting everyone’s time – even the prospect’s!

Your mentor will be best equipped to direct the call if you tip him/her off PRIVATELY in advance whether your prospect is a Red or Green Apple. Remember:

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Joy

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Indeed Red ones are very professional, they just want that they should be hit directly to the point, no altering.
Its quite hard to find those people around and let them show what are we up to.

Its a good tip to avoid the close and dear ones, to get involved in our business, the things can go wrong sometimes and
the worse the relationship can be closed. Thats certainly not my thing to do, I love to interact with other people, so that
the code of decency is being maintain and the things go smooth for our business.

I love your apple analogy Joy! I’m not involved in network marketing, but I worked in direct sales for a decade so I can appreciate your descriptions from firsthand experience. I would have to say that, like you, I’m primarily a red apple, but depending on the subject I do have an element of green apple as well, and I think that’s a good thing.

I especially appreciate your advice on not attempting to “convert” people. I was a district manager and trainer and the toughest thing for most people to “get” is that you have to choose where to invest your time and energy. My rule of thumb has always been (then as now) they have to want it for themselves MORE than you want it for them, or they aren’t going to do the work. Thanks for the great read!

Hi, Joy considering it is better to share our experiences with people vs selling them on an idea. Most people continue to pitch to me?

It amazes me on the approach people seem to believe that everyone is in need of having fear as the determining factor or greed. That is the mistake. As you point out, sorting through is best.

My experience many moons ago, was to learn about what a person is involved with. That is normal growth and then seeing what I have can help support their growth in what they have a passion to share with others. Just keep it simple and serve the other person. Giving is best when approaching others.

Thanks Joy, you always have amazing topics we all can share our experiences to only enhance conversation.

You make a very good point about people continuing to just pitch others.

There’s one guy I know who’s in a different business every couple of months and he’s now acting quite “hurt” when I don’t follow him from one disaster to the next. I’ve tried patiently explaining that I’m committed to the business I am already working, but he won’t take no for an answer. I’m just ignoring him now. It beats me how thick-skinned some people can be.

It was a very valuable training session, and made the think differently – yes the trick is to identify the apples as soon as possible, and not attempt to change them. Instead, treat them according to their color.

With the model that we’re using, “everyone” (almost LOL) can be both a paying and an earning customer. Especially in the USA where the model is still far better developed than here in the UK.

Sadly the work discipline went down the drain this week – my Dad is in hospital again 🙁

Good tip on keeping those apples in separate buckets. It’s well known that brown ones can contaminate green, or even red apples. Another reason for taking care who we recruit to a network marketing business.

Hi Joy,
How interesting to compare people to apples.
You seem very knowledgeable about these techniques. I write alone and assumed you did too. I know that like me, you have a day job.
Do you have a blogging team you use these ideas with? I don’t.
Janice

Yes, I write alone (although welcome guest authors every so often). My “day job” is self-employed, so sometimes I’m really stretched with it, and other time I can spend more time on my business.

I don’t have a blogging team, but I do have a team in my networking business, and that’s where we use these ideas. Sadly I can’t take credit for them – they were part of the free training in our network marketing business.

Hi Joy
Loved the analogy of “Apples” in regard to network marketing and building a team. I am of the school of thought of just planting seeds and not trying to coerce anyone into what I’m doing. I’ve had people come back to me years later … if someone likes what I have great, if not – that’s great to and I move on … I enjoyed your article, thank you 🙂

Your approach of waiting for people to come back to you makes a lot of sense. I have let myself be coerced before, just to stop people pestering me, but it’s never lasted because my heart wasn’t in it, and then I’m left with a bad feeling about the person who “bullied me” into the business. However good their intentions, it was unprofessional and a waste of time. NOT the way to do it!

I’m kinda new here and I really love the business tips shared here. I guess network marketing business will surely fetch great amount of money in short amount time but only need hard work and dedication.

Indeed Red ones are very professional, they just want that they should be hit directly to the point, no altering.
Its quite hard to find those people around and let them show what are we up to.

Its a good tip to avoid the close and dear ones, to get involved in our business, the things can go wrong sometimes and
the worse the relationship can be closed. Thats certainly not my thing to do, I love to interact with other people, so that
the code of decency is being maintain and the things go smooth for our business.

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Phillip Llewellyn
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September 20, 2017

Hi Joy,

What an absolute pleasure it was to read this post, your treatment of this subject shows a superb understanding on your part. if only others would take the time to read and understand the wisdom you have shared here we would have a lot less pitching and a whole lot more of connecting and helping in the world.

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